I think I’m somewhere in the middle, but lean towards Stilgar.

Chani views Paul as a foreigner who, although seeks revenge for what happened to his family, is also a sincere person who genuinely wants to help the Freman regain their land and home. She doesn’t believe in the work of the Bene Gesserit, referring to them as creators of folklore used to push what she considers “tales of a savior”. She acknowledges that Paul has a special set of unique talents, refined skills, and displays signs compatible with what the Freman consider “signs of the Messiah”, but her lack of faith in what is “written” keeps her from ever seeing Paul more than just a sincere human who is trying to do the right thing.

Stilgar views Paul as more than just a sincere young man who has unique skills and special traits. He views Paul as the “Mahdi”, and puts him through certain tests to confirm that he fits the script of what’s “written” for the savior. Stilgar is a firm believer in the Faith that the Freman follow. He acknowledges that the Bene Gesserit have a hand in weaving the societal functionalities which produce the likes of “savior” archetypes, but he is not gung-ho over someone who doesn’t display all the signs. The signs are there in Paul, hence his fanatic approach to following him. Paul passed every test - namely the big ones, drinking the water of life, riding the sandworm, being a foreigner (Lisan al Ghaib) who speaks their language, foretelling futures and pasts/knowing peoples’ dreams, and most of all leading the Freman to regain their ancestral home/planet from the imperialist oppressors.

There’s a lot of talk about how Dune is anti-religion or “warning of the dangers of fundamentalism” and “charismatic leaders”. I’d understand that if Paul was somehow a charlatan. The reality is he is doing the things the Freman have always prophecized their savior would do. The question is: who decides who the savior is? Does the savior get to decide that? No. It’s decided for him; a matter already decreed by the Supreme Creator. Paul merely has to go through the motions of his conscience, follow his heart, his true self. He doesn’t have to have divine communication with God for him to be a messiah, he doesn’t have to be receiving revelations or even have certainty about his own ordained messianic-nature.

I think believing that a messiah has to have all of that (divine revelation, divine communication, official ordainment, certainty about mission from the start - ie Paul has certainty only after the Water of Life- etc) is a result of a highly romanticized view of the end-of-times “messiahs” (aka Mahdi in Islamic literature). The Mahdi in Islamic literature isn’t ordained through divine revelation or through any kind of direct communication from God. He simply lives his life according to his values and morals, and happens to fall in line with a particular path that leads him to being the savior-leader the people need to find peace and prosperity in times of tribulation.

Paul expressing that “he’s no savior” and “I’m not mahdi” etc. is not proof that he isn’t. It’s proof that he doesn’t know or doesn’t believe in himself (yet). After he drinks the water of life, he moves with a different type of clarity.

Ultimately, Paul has shown all the signs of being the One. I hope he continues his protagonist-hero journey, and fulfills the prophecy.

The only difference between someone who views him as the One vs not, is the difference between an Atheist and a Believer (in whatever Faith). Chani is an atheist, so she humanizes him. Stilgar is a Believer, so he romanticizes him. The truth is Paul is somewhere in between, but has shown exquisite signs, and fits the bill for the savior-leader, and maybe that’s what the Mahdi is meant to be after all.

(파파고 번역)

출처: https://www.reddit.com/r/dune/comments/1b5pn8d/do_you_view_paul_through_the_lens_of_chani_or/